As the modern workforce becomes increasingly mobile and distributed geographically, many meetings are held using a telephone conference call, with some or all attendees calling (also referred to herein as “dialing in”) into the conference call. Typically, potential attendees of the telephone conference call are sent a meeting request by the meeting organizer or participant via an office email/calendaring application such as Microsoft Outlook. The meeting request notification message is often in the form of a specialized meeting request email which provides the recipient with various response options, including whether to accept or reject the meeting request. The meeting request notification may also be in the form of electronic messages, such as SMS messages. The meeting request may also be a standard email offering the recipient no response options. The meeting request is usually very tightly integrated with the scheduling/calendaring system in addition to the email system. Indeed, in one example the email itself may not be generated by a human user, but from the calendaring/scheduling software system as a result of a meeting being scheduled. Information related to the meeting, such as time and place is included in various data fields of the meeting request. For example, meeting information may be found in a “Subject” data field, “Notes” data field, “Description” data field, or other similar data field. The particular nomenclature, type, and number of data fields in the meeting request varies based on the particular email/calendaring application used.
The meeting request may or may not pertain to a telephone conference call. Where the meeting request is a request to participate in a telephone conference call, the meeting request typically includes a dial-in telephone number used to call into the telephone conference. The meeting request also typically includes a conference identification number that the attendee enters once the call to the dial-in number is connected. The conference identification number enables the conference call system to locate the desired conference call to join the attendee calling in. The meeting request may include a user identification number specific to the meeting request recipient that the attendee may enter once the call is connected. For example, the user identification number may identify the attendee as the conference call leader or other designation. Though the meeting organizer will typically place the dial-in telephone number and conference identification number in the “Description” or “Notes” data field, it may also be placed in other data fields. Information necessary to connect to the conference call is often referred to as “dial-in information.”
In the prior art, to participate in the telephone conference call, at the time of the meeting the attendee must locate the dial-in number, conference identification number, and possibly user identification number. Typically, the attendee opens the calendar item or email corresponding to the meeting on the electronic calendar on his personal computer or mobile phone, looks up the number for dialing in and then dials it manually. The attendee may need to manually write the number down on paper to assist him in making the call. Once the call is connected, the attendee must then enter the conference identification number and user identification number.
This process is cumbersome and has several limitations. The attendee must manually look up, remember, and key in the dial-in number. Once connected, the attendee must manually enter the conference identification number (also referred to herein as the “meeting identification number” or “conference call identification number”) and possibly the user identification number if applicable. If the attendee makes a mistake in keying in any of these numerical strings, an error occurs and the attendee must begin again.
Where the meeting information is stored on the attendee's personal computer, if the personal computer is off, significant time is required to access the dial-in number as the personal computer must be booted up. Where the meeting information is stored on the attendee's mobile phone or smartphone, it may not be safe or practical to look up the small digits in the mobile phone or smartphone and note them down before initiating the call. This is particularly true if the attendee is traveling in an automobile or busy with other activities.
As a result, there is a need for improved methods and systems for connecting telephone conference call attendees.